Sept. 16th: “Stay Away from Seattle” Day

Yes, there really is a holiday called “Stay Away from Seattle” Day.

The official holiday on September 16th (according to Chase’s Calendar of Events) was championed by Tom Roy, in response to Emmett Watson’s founding of “Lesser Seattle” a sort of faux anti-Chamber of Commerce organization. Watson’s Lesser Seattle campaign slogan: “Keep the bastards out” served as a tongue-in-cheek response to too much tourism, too much development, and too many transplants relocating to the area.

Sadly, according to Knute Berger, Lesser Seattle is dead, killed by a sense of self-importance fueled by an out-of-control power hungry mayor.

In the civic arena, Lesser Seattle is barely a memory. The big ideas of Paul Schell are being replaced by the broad-shouldered, developer-friendly mania of the Greg Nickels years, when no project shall go unfunded. Bury the viaduct? A fleet of new trolleys? Light rail? Bust the cap and build more skyscrapers? New sports complexes? A rebuilt South Lake Union? Nickels’ city is the billionaires’ best friend. Condos, multiuse developments, public-private partnerships, mass transit: For these dreams, no price tag is too high.

We can reclaim our home town. Vote. Attend community meetings, potlucks and any bake sales your local school or church has. Organize neighborhood yard sales, help build a pocket park, pick up litter, buy Girl Scout Cookies or whatever the neighborhood kids are selling. SUBSCRIBE TO THE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER OR THE SEATTLE TIMES! Don’t let our local newspapers die. And while you’re at it, subscribe to your local neighborhood paper too. Listen to local radio, watch local television, weed your garden and sweep the sidewalk in front of your home.

It will take some effort, it may cost a bit more or be less convenient, but it’s a matter of our quality of life here in Seattle.